Newspaper Page Text
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-THE MERCER CLUSTER
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Volume Llll
Mercer University Macon, Georgia , December 13, 1971
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No. 9
Trustees meet
President Harris
tells board of
Mercer potential
The Unlvac R09
Mercer To Rent
Computer System
Faculty
Calling the university "the
single institution in our society
with the greatest potential for
help to all mankind," President
Rufus Harris told the Board of
Trustees last Thursday,
December 2, that “that which
many young people see ahead of
them in the adult years does not
appear very exciting."
“Somehow we must give
them activity in life and I do not
mean sports activities," Harris
said. “I am suggesting
spiritual activity. Citizens of
our modern society have
washing machines, they have
The registrar’s office has
been allowed the rental use of a
UNIVAC 9200 computer system
along with the Accounting office
for business purposes.
The UNIVAC 9200 system is
essentially a card-oriented
system that performs the
familiar punched card functions
siich as card reading,
calculating, printing,
reproducing, summary pun
ching and interspersed gang
punching.
This computer is described as
ideal system for small
businesses and will be used
primarily in preparing ad
ministrative reports, writing
checks,..billing, invoices, and
anything a small business needs
done.
This system will replace the
rental use of the 9200 system of
the Professional Service
Bureau downtown and will be a
new facet for the accounting
office.
Hie new system was agreed
upon by a committee composed
of: Chairman Mr. Stem bridge,
Mr. Murphy, Mr. Bell, Dr.
Furse, Mr. Wakefield, Mrs.
Marsha Stone, Mr. Skelton, and
Mr. Haywood.
This committee first asked
that due to the increased in
terest of computers by students,
an addition to the present
computer be made in order that
it might be used as a remote
batch unit. That is, it would
have an input of punch card and
also print. This would have the
ability to batch jobs and could
be available for student use.
This system was planned 4 to
go hand in hand with the present
telytype system used by the
Science and Math departments.
This non-approved system
would cost only $350 mope than
the new 9200 system, but it was
not approved by the office of
business and finance because
Mr. Haywood felt there was not
sufficient interest shown by
students. That only students
showing any interest were those
attending Dr. Furse’s non
credit courses.
The system the ad
ministration is now getting will
make possible tremendous
increase in their efficiency and
processing potential. The speed
and versatility of the system
meets;
OK’s new courses
The Faculty of the College of
Liberal Arts met in regular
session Tuesday, Dec. 7.JThe
most important business
transacted concerned the report
of the Curriculum Committee,
and the voting for two student
members to serve on the Ef
fectiveness
Committee.
of Teaching
Checkers to move
in Mercer library
Several changes in the
Special Studies program have
been approved. The changes
are:
1. The total number of hours
allowed in the Special Studies
program has been increased to
18 with no more than 2 courses
in any one year. 2. Special
Studies will be incorporated in
Coat. On Page 2.
gadgets, but they lack an
ideal."
“If people cannot get their
environment and their drug
problems in order, then what?
"he went on." If a civilization
cannot solve its p*-oblems, it
could disappear."
Dr. Harris in his semi-annual
report to the board cited drug
misuse, the ravaged en
vironment, war, inflation,
unemployment, poverty, crime,
hunger and ghetto among the
problems which face the U-S.
today.
‘The overriding problem is
now to get out of this condition
before we pass the point of no
return." he said.
Pointing to the helplessness
that arises when a nation’s
people feel that they have no
power to deal with their great
pt'blems, Harris went on to
talk about what be termed “the
absolute rejection of the doc
trine of the university serving in
loco parentis regarding either
private life or academic
programs" on "almost every
campus." Denying that this
view was recalcitrant and
permissive, he said that ‘It is
more nearly a recognition that
another tide has been en
countered and surmounted.”
Furthermore, these tiroes
compel students to request
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Mr. Metis, the University
librarian, has been given
permission by President Harris
to hire several full or part time
checkers to help stop Ibook
thefts in the library.
“The most serious problem
confronting the library during
the year was the loss of books by
theft," Harris said in his report
to the trustees last Thursday,
"T^e extent of the loss has been
increasing for some time ar.d it
seems to have reached a [joint
at which considerable ex
penditure for protective devices
or guards may be justified."
In comments during the
Trustees meeting, Harris said
that he personally did not favor
a mechanical system because of
the high cost and low degree of
reliability those that he knew
about afforded. He said he
thought that inspection of
everybody who walked out of
the library was
“dehumanizing" but tnat ‘it
looks like we’re going to have to
do it.’,’
Pointing out that it is “not an
easy problem” Harris said that
the thefts reflect “a growing
disrespect for the concept of
private property."
“No alleviation of this
problem seems to be in sight
without additional refunds for
protective measures,” the
report said.
A small group of Mercer
students took almost 200 books
from the library the week
before November 19 to call
attention to the problem of theft
in the libr-iy. They returned
the books when promised that
something would be done.
The lib arian, the University
Council Library Committee,
and the activist student group
recommended an electronic or
mechanical anti-theft system.
University Budget
produces surplps^
A $15,000 operating surplus on
the University’8 gross budget
was announced to the Mercer
Board of Trustees by President
Rufus Harris December 2.
The total annual income was
$5,687,525; expenditures were
$5,672,236.
At the meeting held in the
Connell Student Center, Harold
S. Logan, vice president for
development, told the trustees
that "The response to Mercer’s
Investment in Human
Resources’ drive has been
significant.
"There has been a tremen
dous amoung of enthusiasm as
shown by the fact that in the
three weeks since the Cen
tennial Banquet and Ball an
additional $400,000 has been
received in pledges and gifts,”
and that the capital funds
program is moving toward the
$6 million mark.
The “Educational and
General" portion of the budget,
which means the costs of in
struction, libraries, ad
ministration, physical plant,
admissions, development,
student personnel and student
activities, was $3,891,835.
This was provided by the
following sources: tuition 63
percent; endowment, 12 per
cent; sponsored programs, 8
percent; gifts ami grants, 7
percent; Georgia Baptist
Convention, 5 percent; internal
income, -5 percent, which
largely was an overhead and
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